Education Accessibility: A Solution To Homelessness and Poverty

The Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, once said, “Give a [wo]man a fish and you feed her for a day. You teach her to fish, and you give her an occupation that will feed her for a lifetime.” This quote highlights how the impact of band-aid solutions for homelessness, such as food banks and shelters, are helpful yet temporary. To implement a permanent solution, one must target the root cause of the issue, one of which is education inaccessibility. Numerous studies and reports have inversely linked poverty to education, as the higher your level of education, the lower your chances of falling into poverty. However, poverty is a barrier to youth wishing to attain an education. This means that they are often unable to meet the educational standards in society and the workforce. Ultimately, this perpetuates intergenerational poverty and traps youth in an endless cycle of poverty and homelessness.

Hence, we must make quality education available to youth experiencing homelessness and poverty so they can find a long-term solution to their present hardships. The first step in achieving this is addressing poverty in the school system. In lower-middle-income countries, children from the poorest 20% of families are eight times more likely to be out of school than children from the wealthiest 20%. The reason for this boils down to the costs associated with education. It is evident, especially in the United States, that post-secondary education is financially out of reach for many. However, even high school is accompanied by costs like club fees, books, supplies, and clothes. These costs may be insignificant to some but can consume a large portion of disposable income for youth experiencing homelessness and poverty. For this reason, the United Nations has established a Sustainable Development Goal for education, which entails pushing for universal education to include secondary school. They estimate that over 200 million children will still be out of school by 2030, and by that year, the UN hopes to move towards free, quality universal education for primary and secondary schools. However, it is ultimately up to society to recognize and implement this solution.

Furthering the education of citizens in the United States will not only help them attend a post-secondary institution but also end the cycle of poverty. For instance, the UIS paper displays that two more years of secondary schooling could help lift 60 million people out of poverty. According to this, all adults having a secondary education would lift 420 million out of poverty! Along with increased job opportunities, access to post-secondary education allows individuals to build upon skills and knowledge, enabling them to diversify their sources of income as they see fit. Overall, education is a tool youth experiencing homelessness will always have; it will make them resilient to economic change, while also empowering them to take responsibility for the outcome of their life. Education is especially empowering for young girls and women. With education, they are able to get themselves and their loved ones out of poverty, going against the notion that women cannot provide for themselves and their family. In addition, they may have fewer children in order to provide those children with adequate schooling, food, shelter, and medical care.

EEqual, a 501(c)(3) youth-led non-profit, has a vision to make it possible for every student to receive an “EEqual” opportunity to achieve their full potential in education regardless of economic status. We hope to help bridge the gap and allow these students to build a better life for themselves and our world. 

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